SHK CH 280 (Patreon)

Space fractured, light bloomed and heat spread all around as the two attacks clashed, blinding everyone and even pulling both Tiamat and Anubis's attention back on Sol.

Tiamat was obviously shocked, not understanding why Sol didn’t try to escape or counterattack and simply let himself get swallowed by this attack.

‘Does he want to rely on the phoenix Niverna?’

But that power was limited. One could indeed come back from ashes but if not even ashes remained, then Nirvana could do nothing.

The only reason Tiamat wasn’t going crazy was that even though the light of Sol’s star had vanished, the star itself was telling her that he was still alive. It was incomprehensible.

Meanwhile, Anubis wasn’t phased in the slightest. So what if Sol died? The big deal would be to revive him as an undead. In fact, since the dipshit was clearly in a relationship with his daughter, then having him as an undead and giving him to Isis would be the best solution. At least, like this, there was no way for Sol to hurt his daughter.

Surtr meanwhile went back to his smaller form and flashed a smile toward Nihil.

“Herald, the mission is a failure. Let’s use this occasion to retreat.”

Surtr was sure that Sol was dead. Nihil was close to a false god and even though she was terribly wounded, she was still quite powerful. As for him, <<Cruel Sun>> was the strongest technique he could use in an instant at his disposal.

Only a false god could survive the explosion from the two attacks and no matter how powerful Sol was, it still wasn’t close to this level.

The thought of retreating again filled him with a feeling of sadness and humiliation but his personal pride was of no importance in face of the big picture.

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Nihil ignored Surtr as she stared at the raging storm of mana shredding time and space. Her breathing was rough and her vision blurred. She was hurting because of all the wounds she received and the last attack she threw didn’t make it easier on her.

She was on the verge of falling into hibernation. The damage to her body and soul were simply too extensive. All her plans for the future events had to be put on hold as she would be asleep for a long time, perhaps years, in order to recuperate. She had lost her soldiers, a group of demigods, and her best friend in a fruitless endeavor.

A blazing feeling of rage burned at her heart when she thought about how disastrous the situation was. She was living through the greatest failure of her entire life.

All of this… because of one man.

‘Sol Luxuria.’

Never had Nihil hated a name so much. Not even Anubis elicited such a feeling of rage and hatred from her.

“Did we…Did we get him?”

Nihil wasn’t so deep gone she didn’t know they needed to escape. But she wanted to see. She wanted to confirm.

That he was dead. That he was erased. That his flame was extinguished.

Only then could she rest calmly.

Sadly for her, her hope were dashed when a peal of mocking laughter exploded.

“Hahaha, wondering if you got your enemy means you definitely didn’t manage to get them?”

Nihil felt like she was about to have a heart attack as Sol appeared alive. If it was just that it would have been alright.

If Sol had been grievously wounded and was struggling, she could have accepted it. But when she realized that he was not only alive but well — With nary a wound on his body?

It was simply too much. Blood surged as she spat a mouthful of blood mixed with a bit of her internal organs and she nearly fainted.

“H-how…?”

Nihil wasn’t the only one shocked. Surtr was positively astonished. He was sure that Sol was dead. In fact, he wasn’t even able to feel any energy from Sol after the attack hit him. So then why was he able to stand here in front of him?

Of course, while he was shocked, he was not slow at all. A red portal immediately opened behind them and he began to bring Nihil who was now too weak to protest.

“Hehe…I can’t stop you from leaving but…”

<<Deus Ex Machina: Rule of Three>>

A lock formed between Sol and Nihil, as if creating a loop. Surtr was unable to stop this attack and could only watch as the light dissipated.

"Do you know the rule of three?"

Sol spoke as he looked directly into Nihil’s eyes.

“The first time we met, you won.”

Sol was speaking about the attack on Lustburg. If both Sol and Nihil were chess players, then Sol lost the moment the Divine Sword was stolen and most of the Wings managed to escape.

“I won our second meeting.”

That was about the attack on the Dragon Realm. Nihil failed all her big objectives and lost too much. Now she could only flee like a bereaved dog.

This was the creation of the pattern. A set of three.

“We are now Nemesis. No matter what the outcome is, our third confrontation will be our last—That too is Fate."

Those were the last words Nihil heard as she was swallowed by the portal alongside a silent Surtr.

All Surtr did was give a silent stare. As if wishing to memorize every corner of Sol’s face. He did not utter any third-rate line about revenge. Such a thing was beneath him.

This was war. There was no right nor wrong. Only a loser and a winner. They were the loser this time.

That was all.

—--

The moment the red portal closed, the glow in Sol’s eyes began to dim, until he nearly passed out himself.

He had been using a power far above what he should be physically capable of. The only reason he hadn’t exploded until now was thanks to the phoenix regeneration that was constantly healing him.

Though this didn’t take away the pain.

‘My Divine energy is nearly drained.’

The reserves were bottoming out, but Sol let out a sigh of relief when he realized that he still had a small amount. He had a specific idea about where to use it and when. So he was thankful.

“You were really reckless.”

Sol's mind calmed down when he felt a soft embrace. Mainly, his head was resting on a particularly soft and bouncy object.

It was Tiamat, now bereft of her combat form. Feeling safe, all strength finally vanished from his body and his power level decreased at a breathtaking pace until he went back to the Duke level.

“Damn…This sucks.”

He felt like he was suffocating. Like heavy shackles had been placed on him, robbing him of all possible movement.

'How weak and fragile.' He couldn’t help but think.

“Haha. Going back from a top-level Demigod to a Duke must be quite the sensation. I know what you are feeling.”

Tiamat wasn’t lying. After all, she did destroy her own power to re-cultivate back from the Duke rank in the past.

“However, this will be a valuable experience for you.”

Growing to become a demigod was like passing a contest with a limited number of places. Some people studied greatly in order to succeed and some people were lucky enough to get the place of those who “dropped out”.

The vast majority of people simply failed.

But it was different for Sol now. Now he had the equivalent of a cheat sheet and knew all the answers necessary to become a top scorer.

Sol laughed lightly while feeling his eyes growing heavy. Now that he was back to the Duke rank, he felt like he could fall asleep at any moment.

“How is the situation with the demigods?”

“Don’t worry. Without Surtr or Nihil, that Anubis can perfectly take care of them alone. Anyway, killing is the only thing he is good at.”

“Hey! I resent that! Your words are truly hurtful!”

Tiamat ignored the complaints of Anubis and looked at Sol. She knew he was tired and needed to rest. His body needed to acclimate to all the changes he went through in just one evening.

But still…There was one thing she needed to ask. Just one thing she needed to know.

“How did you survive?”

This, just this, she was dying to know.

To this, Sol smiled.

“Do you know Schrodinger?”

When the attack landed on him, Sol should have really died. But at the same time, his death was not something confirmed by anyone observing him.

Because of this, he fell into a quantum state where he was neither really dead nor alive. In this reality, for people observing him, there was a 50% chance that he was dead and a 50% chance that he was alive.

By affecting causality, Sol changed the 50% chance of being alive into 100% affecting reality and keeping himself alive.

<<Deus Ex Machina: Schrodinger's Cat>>

Looking at the now sleeping Sol, Tiamat gave a dumbfounded laugh,

“How absurd.”

She couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of monster she had created. Of course, she knew it was impossible for Sol to use most of those skills now that he was back to being a Duke but as she said, the road to becoming a demigod was wide open for Sol. It was only a question of time.

Tiamat couldn’t hide her proud smile. Even though Sol was now a little monster, he was her monster. That was all that mattered in her opinion.

“Sleep well, little one. You were really incredible.”

Like this, the curtain fell on the event that would later be known as <<The Awakening of the Emperor>>

What happened on that day would be remembered as the spark that lit the fire of events that would engulf this entire universe.

(AN: Next chapter will be EPILOGUE 2. But this is essentially the end of BOOK 2 Vol 9: The War as well as the end of BOOK 2 Itself. Damn now I am emotional. Hope you liked it and don’t hesitate to give me your opinion.)